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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Wulf Ratbane" data-source="post: 2748279" data-attributes="member: 94">Horror Checks explained...Were you adding any modifiers from Table 10-2? How about extra dice from Table 10-3?If Horror is going to be a big part of your game, you could assume that the Horror Threshold always beats the PC's Charisma. You could roll it anyway to determine the severity of any subsequent insanities, of course.Let's play with that for a second.Let's first assume that you're using the two-skull variant where a PC only adds his Wisdom modifier. Let's also assume that a PC is going to have a +1 bonus here. (No reason, just being generous.)A moderate encounter has a difference of 4 EL to the party. So for a moderate encounter, the PC is going to have a +4 bonus to his check.>> Quick side note: You have to seriously consider whether a Horror check is even appropriate for a moderate encounter. If I were running a Horror-based game, I might have an early horrific encounter that was moderate (like, some hideous but easily dispatched zombies) and a later encounter that was difficult (like the vampire boss).Anyhow-- back to our first example. The PC has +1 to his check from Wis, and +4 to his check from the difference in EL.The average roll is 10, which means the average PC risks being dazed by this encounter. (See Table 10-1: roll of 10, +1 Wis, +4 EL bonus = 15 result.)Keep in mind that players roll really bad at the worst of times. Among the list of really bad things to happen to your character is some kind of insanity. With the exception of a couple of disorders that actually enhance your self-preservation instincts (mild General Anxiety Disorder, for example!) the list of game effects for the psychological disorders are really bad to get stuck with.I bring this up to emphasize the importance of using the Fight or Flight rule. If the players believe there is a real (albeit remote) chance of some really bad insanity afflicting their character, there's a good chance they'll choose to just run from the encounter. Which is really the result you wanted in the first place.Back to the example:The PCs have both rolled perfectly average, they both risk being dazed, now pending the result of the Horror Threshold check.Let's again assume the average. Personally, I like my Horrific encounters to be getting an extra +1d6 one way or another, but we're doing an average check, so let's plow on with just the recommended 2d6.The average roll is a 7.First time the PCs have encountered this foe? +2.Particularly horrific/gory scene? +1.We've now hit the perfectly average Threshold of 10. Which affects the perfectly average Joe with a Charisma of 10.So your perfectly average Horror check is going to daze the perfectly average human (CHA 10).I think that's a pretty good baseline result.Remember-- that's the baseline result. You really have to prey on the players' fears of rolling crappy on this check. Use Fight or Flight. Make them use an action point on their Horror check. And so on.Fight or Flight is really a lot of fun with a bigger group of players. You'll have one or two good Wisdom, good Charisma players choosing to stick around, and their buddies take off rather than risk a bad Horror check!The system already works this way-- it sounds like you just didn't apply it correctly. But as you're not the first GM to have trouble with it, I'll assume (once again!) the responsibility for your difficulties.</blockquote>

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